Wayne Rooney is convinced Manchester United will be in the thick of the title race this season as he insisted Jose Mourinho's work is beginning to pay dividends.
Though United showed little attacking verve during Monday's stalemate with Liverpool, Rooney - who came on as a late substitute - felt it was an encouraging performance and can provide the foundation for the rest of the campaign.
It has not been a smooth start to the Mourinho era but, gradually, United are starting to eke out resulted and Rooney insists they can approach a demanding run of assignments - they face Fenerbahce, Chelsea and Manchester City in the next seven days - with confidence on the back of the determined display at Anfield.
Rooney, who is not sure whether he will start against Fenerbahce after several games on the bench, revealed Mourinho hatched a plan to stifle Liverpool and he says the way United executed it shows that the squad is learning and understanding the new manager's methods.
Rooney said: 'He (Mourinho) was just like normal, he knew it was a massive game, probably the biggest game of the season, it was a game we didn't want to lose. We knew it, the manager knew it, but we also wanted to try and win the game. we had a few chances and tried to get a goal, but we stuck to the gameplan well, we just couldn't get that goal.
'I think we'll be challenging this season - we've still got that belief and it is even stronger after working with this manager, and the players over the last few months, I think we've got a fantastic squad, that is ready and capable of challenging.
'This was the toughest game before the Europa League on Thursday then we've got Chelsea and City. It is good for us to have those games in this period, if we can come out of them with positive results it can be the start of something for us this season.'
Rooney was in positive spirits even though he only played a bit-part at Anfield and maintains he is 'ready' to start and contribute for whenever Mourinho believes the time is appropriate to put him back in the starting line-up. He is working as he would normally so there can be 'no excuses' if he gets an opportunity.
'I like to think I can play every game, but obviously it's the manger's decision and I respect that,' said Rooney. 'I will be ready when I'm needed. I'm 31 next week, I've got a lot of football left.'
Rooney, meanwhile, insists it is only a matter of time before Paul Pogba fully settles into life back at Old Trafford after a slow start following his £90million move from Juventus, saying: 'Paul is a fantastic player, I think he is working hard and he is doing well, it is a different league to what he's been used to – he didn't really play last time when he was here so this is all new. He is a fantastic player and he will shine for us this season there is no doubt.'
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